In 1992, a group of farsighted leaders posed a thought-provoking question:

“What kind of academic program would it take to prepare Baltimore City students for national competitions in mathematics, science, technology, and related fields?”

The answer came from The Abell Foundation, which established The Ingenuity Project as a champion for learning in science and mathematics.

The Ingenuity Project began by accepting a highly able group of sixth grade students from across the city at two middle schools who embarked on a rigorous program to accelerate learning in mathematics and prepare them for high school. The high school program at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, began in 1997.  The high school program has produced students who have qualified for the Siemens Westinghouse Competition and the Regeneron (formerly Intel) Science Talent Search finals. Graduates have been successful at such notable institutions as the Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More than 70% of alumni report studying STEM fields in college, and 30% of alumni report completing advanced degrees.